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tv   Capital News Today  CSPAN  May 23, 2011 11:00pm-2:00am EDT

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towards a government shutdown. literally saw the whole world watching to countdown clocks to would the federal government shut down or not. it would be a terrible thing if we end up with that kind of watch for i the united states going to default, you know, is the united states going to, you know, for the first time in its history, you know be bankrupt. >> but did you think there was going to be a government shutdown recently? >> i did not. >> so you told all your employees to come into work and everything? >> you know, i actually tried very carefully t tell my employees the same things that we told every other federal employee. and it anoints them of the people at omb. it wasn't going to be a shutdown at the very end when there was a
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chance that wanted to be shut down because the process may get jammed up, we went into a mode of communicating. we tried very hard to keep the issue. >> did you think there was going to be a government shutdown in the clinton administration when it happened? >> well you know, i think it's a little different. we were on op site sides of this one. there was a decision in that case by one side that it might be a good strategy to shut the government down. and that made it, i think, you know, harder to avoid. i was hopeful to avoid a debt. it backfired and turned out people weren't so happy when the government shut down and they couldn't get a passport, they couldn't take their family on
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vacation, they couldn't rely on the fact that basic government services would be provided in an uninterrupted way. so i think we saw again in these last few days leading up to the final, you know, resolution without a shutdown that it made people very anxious for a good reason. we should be able to get our work done. >> what percentage is this? >> so the two major areas are health and social security. health, mecare and medicaid are 20%. things like agriculture programs, other retirement programs.
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then you have to go in and change the law in order to have them operate differently. >> what percentage is defense spending? >> 24. >> so 57 and 24, that would be about 81%. >> so discretionary spending, the thing that everyone looks to to solve the problem is 12% of the budget. thother 6% is interest. >> so you have 12% to play with. that's all you can really change. >> and the appropriations process for nonsecurity spending. that's why we always made the case, when you look at a deficit that is large as we're looking at, if you're talking about a deficit it's $700 billion. there's no way you can solve the
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deficit. nonsecurity. so we thought it was important to produce spending in the nonsecurity area. we produced $38 billion of reductions. that's also why we say we've gone to the edge. there's not a lot more to cut without going into things that really undermine our future. and it's going to be a question of how you balance the trades. one of the things that everything has to be on the table is if you try to solve the deficit problem with anything off the table, you end up with choices that are frankly the wrong policy outcomes. so if revenue is not hon the table, it pushes you to go deeper into discretionary spending and entitlements. you take entitlements off the table completely, there's no way to solve the problem on discretionary spending. the only way to solve the problem in the best interest of
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all the people to bear the problem. >> at the end of hose, that period of time, 2016,? >> i don't want to throw a number out there. but i think that if you're looking you could see the deficit in 2016, in the 2.5% or below range, which would be very important. >> what percentage is it now? >> now, no, it's not in the 20s. but it's been hovering. >> i'm sorry. spending is a percentage of gdp. >> spending is in the 20s. >> okay. all right. and do you think being a business person you were in the
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business world, has made you a better omb director or a less effective omb director or what would you say? >> i actually think every experience that you have makes you more effective on what you do next. i think that having worked in the private sector, both for a university and in the financial services field, you have a different perspective on what it means to have government policy made and then to try to do your business consistent with those policies. i felt that when i practiced law as well. in the very first. it turned out there was a coromise. it can't be.
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i think inform your judgment in many ways. i think having been in government and out of government several times, one of the things that i think for me has been the most important is you kind of refresh your able to look at problems and think about them without thinking that you know the answer already. you know, when i was in this job the last time, i was at omb for six years. it was time for me to leave. i knew that i was probably not able to look at erything fresh. it came back ten years in between. the same issues came up. i know that you felt one way about that ten years ago, but it's different. the economy has changed. is it still the same right answer? you need to refresh yourself. >> when the president asked you to take this job, he didn't say if you get the deficit to a
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certain level, i'll make you secretary of state in the second term? nothing like that? you didn't get that promise? >> i neither sought it nor got any commitments on the nufuture >> what would you like your legacy to be when you ultimately leave? would it be to reduce the deficit as a percentage of gdp or what would you like your legacy to be? i was proud to be omb with a surplus. it was the first time there was three years of surplus since andrew jackso was president. it's going to be a long time before somebody says the same thing. i knowoming in with the problems we faced today. there's little probability i'll be leaving with a record that is as objectively strong as the record that i lad the last time. by the same token.
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if at the end of my tenure, restabilized it. we restored confidence and we're in a path to manage our business in an effective way, that's an enormous accomplishment. i wouldn't say i'm not no st-- lot we can do in the next few years to turn things in the right direction. >> as somebody who has come back to an agency that i have deep feeling for, it's been a tough time. i want to help rebuild the agency as well. it's not easy. paying attention matters to me. >> how people work at omb? >> about 500. >> how many are political
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employees? >> the exact number, i don't know. but less than -- >> the people working before are ill there? >> about half the staff appeared people i was working with ten years ago. >> all right. we have time for some questions. anybody want to know what the deficit will be? any programs you want to ask if they'll be funded or not? >> mr. lew, a lot h been written about inflation. commodity prices went up. the had of the federal reserve, ben bernanke is not overly concerned. when you put your economic models together, what were your assumptions on inflation?
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>> our general view on inflation is not inconsistent with the numbers that the fed looks at. there are real burdens for the american people. oil prices and gasoline prices are a real problem. it has a big impact on consumer confidence and the like. you look across the economy at all the factor unputs a labor and where we stand vis-a-vis other countries, overall inflation does not seem to be something that we need to worry excessively about. we do have to worry out energy prices. that's the reason the president has been so determined to develop new technologies, to make sure that we can safely, you know, explore u.s. fossil
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fuel resources and working as hard as we can to make sure that companies that are making substantial profs are doing it the way that's not unfair to consumers. and it's tying back to our tax policy. one thing we would like to do on the tax side is take away the special tax provisions for companies that have benefits from oil and gas, you know, profits. we think it's only fair that we're looking at shared sacrific if taxpayers who are burdened by higher gas prices, th're also the ones who are hit when we have to have cuts in domestic spending. it shouldn't be a one-sided calculation. >> other questions?
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>> what are the effects of the policy tool? >> i think we learned that it does work to put stimulus into the economy wen you're in need of it, as we were in 2008, we were kind of at the bottom of the recession, when you look at a stimulus packag you have to look not at a kind of random period of time but where are you at this point in time? in 2008 western looking at a situation where projections of the length of the recession were getting longer and longer almost by the day. i was working during the transition period on some of the kind of thinking that went into the stimulus package ultimately. and it was having worked on several recovery package, i had never seen a situation where every day the sense of how long the receson would be was
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deepening. now, that changes the tools that you have available to make effective macroeconomic interventions. if you think the recession is going to last a year or 18 months you'll be out of it and worrying about inflation, that would leave you to one set of options. in 2008 we were looking at a period of time when we knew for the next two or three years it would be a good thing if there was an injection of economic activity. and it gave the ability to do things in a shallower recession you may not have done. the combination of immediately putting money into the stays so that they could avoid laying off teachers and policemen, unemployment and food stamps to get into consumers hands and spend, that's the stuff you knew
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would have an immediate impact. building roads and rail, it would take longer. because we knew that there was a need for economic stimulus at that period of time, i wasn't in the economic team at the time the decisions were made. it was definitely the right being. you look back and say right now we're seeing solid economic growth. if you were to sub strakt 1% or 2% from that or take our unemployment rate and add 1% or 2% to that, it would feel pretty bad. that where's we would have been without the recovery package. it's prove than it works. it doesn't mean we don't now have to turn the corner and get our hands around our fiscal challenges going forward. but we had to guess in 2008 to 2011. i think the recovery package helped do it in a way that created millions of jobs and avoided a deeper and long e recession. >> you worked for president clinton and president obama, who
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was smarter? >> they were both smart. >> you worked for hillary clinton and bill clinton, who was smarter? >> how doou compare? >> you're very diplomatic. all right, jerry. >> after taking a look at yo resumé and seeing your accomplishments which david has focused on as well, i was struck byhe fact that you were a key player in the social security commission and as i look at the tough decisions that you have to make, it strikes me that's the easiest area to make progress on i would describe it almost as a layup. how would you describe the social security reform proposals that are being talked about as part of a potential package, and is it one of the things that really, the time is right to move ahead on? >> so i think it's important to
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separate social security from the broader fiscal policy discussion. it is something i ha worked on for 30 years. i believe strongly the the right time to deal with social security is now. the president has said that, and the state of the union said that in the speech a few weeks ago. and we should work on it because we owe it to people who are working now and about to retire. for young people who are looking to retire, many, many decade from now. we owe it to them to have a distant solvent for 75 years. in 1983 we put social security on a firm financial footing. it's one of the things i'm proudest of in my professional career. i think the challenge is you mix it with deficit reduction and it confuses the issue. there are people who think that social security is the cause of our deficit. it's not the cause of our deficit.
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social security ran a surplus for decades. 1983 worked. the principle of 1983 was, have enough income come in so that we can build up reserves and when the baby booms retire, draw them down. through the period, we didn't honor that trust. you know, instead of taking the surplus that we built up ihe 1990s we spent it, as a country. it's not nar to say social security caused the problem. social security is obviously something we have to deal with. as social security needs to draw on reserves and the reserves aren't there because we spent them, you have to ether raise revenues and cut spending or borrow money. it's a fundamental mistake to say social security caused it. it will complicate and slow the process of dealing with social security if the two issues are emerged. if you separate them and the question is how do you deal with social security, i think it's
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true that if you took people from opposing views d said you're not constrained by the political arguments that your sides have made, can you identify options where onable people could agre it is much easier than other areas. as a program where you can easily calculate what the income is, what the number of people is, what the outflow is. the problem is, you know, we're not in a place right now where a conversation can be had where everything is on the table. revenues as well as spending have to be on the table to have a serious conversation about social security. in 1983, certainly it was a combination of the twochlt two. so the president, i think, laid out principles that are very clear and speak for themes in terms of thoand to deal with social security. he very much means it when he says he wants to do now. i think it's an invitation for
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everything to be in the discussion and not to start out by saying it's going to have to come from cutting benefits. the question has come up, why not put a plan out? as somebody working for the speaker of the house in 1981 when a plan was put out, i can attest to theact it doesn't necessarily lead to the results of fast reduction. it didn't lead to a successful 1982 election, h which we were pleased about. the problem was solved through quiet conversations behind the scenes where both parties were able to float ideas without them being politically chargedendoor package in a carefully choreographed moment. i think when we deal with social security it will require that again. the less proposal, everybody taking hard position, things off the table the more likely we are to solve the problem. >> jack, i think we are out of time. i want to thank you very much for your time.
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[ applause ] in is a map of the district of columbia from the original district. thank you all very much are. >> in a few moments, aipac hears from harry reid and benjamin netanyahu. after that, president obama's speech in dublin, ireland. several of live events to tell you about on our campaign in network, c-span3, to more. prescription drug abuse with the head of white house drug policy.
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9:00 a.m. eastern. at 2:30 p.m. eastern, heads of the federal aviation administration and the air traffic that road trip -- air- traffic controllers association testify on the safety of the air-traffic control system. >> followed "washington journal" on twitter and joined viewers to get advance notice of the gas and links to video clips of key program highlights. you can tweak your questions to our guests. do not miss any updates. >> up next, from the american israel public affairs committee conference, senate majority leader harry reid. this is a half-hour. >> we meet thisear in the
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shadow of israel's birthday, but our mode is not one of celebration. our mode is one ofaution and concern, unease sits heavily on our shoulders. this because no time in israel's history has our future faced such tension and tests and uncertainty awaits us and never in history has so many of you leaders, students, and concerned citizens gathered to make your voices heard. your activism made you an unparalleled force not only in this town, but throughout the country and the world. it's not only your numbers or your passion that has made you effective and earned you the discuss you deserve. it's the virtue of your cause and the integrity of your conviction. [applause] your in the arena, in the fight year after year when the head
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winds pick up, you push back even harder, and today, here, we are united, determined demanding strength and success. we insist israel not only survives, but thrives. [applause] i'm honored to stand before you this evening to say that like you, i stand with israel always. pplause] i'll make sure the united states stapedes with israel every me. i will do this as majority leaders of the united states senate, and i'll do this in my most important job as a senior senator from the state of nevada, the home of the fastest growing jewish community in the country, a spirited pro-israel community and the home to many
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aipac mbers here tonight including my good friend and next senator from the state of nevada, shell y. [applause] i stand with israel, the congress stands with israel, and america stands with israel because the values that have cast our histories e one in the same, and our futures will intertwine more than our history has been. you know, here are the values. you know them. democracy, opportunity, justice, strength, security, and self-defense, innovation, peace -- these values fasten the unbreakable bond between the united states and the state of israel. we also share a common
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confidence that the risks we take are right. israel and america meet great challenges with the faith that we're fighting the good fight. this month began with a daring mission the world will long remember, the raid that got bin laden was unprecedented in significance, but to those who know their history, it was not unfamiliar. thirty-five years earlier in the summer of 1976, israel showed the world how it's done. many ofou remember terrorists took a hijacked plane where they freed only the non-jewish passengers. after days of deliberation, israel's leaders decided to conduct its first ever mission outside the middle east, far, far from home. the rescue was as dangerous as it was ingenious. the israeli troops went to the airport in the cover of night to deceive the guards on the ground and drove to the terminal in
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mercedes and land rover motorcades, identical to the one the president would use to travel. less than an hour later while we celebrated our independence, more than 100 jewish hostages discovered their freem. [applause] the only troop israel lost that day was prime minister benjamin netanyahu's brave older brother, yoni. [applause] many of the elements of that story sound familiar to the details we've heard in recent days about the raid that brought another hijacker to justice. before both missions, intelligent services surveyed the targets. troo built and trained on an exact model before flying through the darkness to unfamiliar foreign terrain to what they had to do.
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the surprise mission was carried out with staggering speed and success. all the while it was kept under the highest secrecy, but these stunning operations have something much more important in common, and neither was a case of certainty or even really probability. israel's leaders were far from confident a military strike would succeed. they wrestled with the tension and pressure and doubt. it was approved at la with hope, but also with a heavy heart, and three weeks ago even as the hell chopper was -- helicopter was landing, o troops were not certain bin laden was inside. american leaders struggled with second and third guesses, but in the end, decisive leadership led to definitive success. [applause] in both cases, those who designed, ordered, and carried
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out the mission operated on a little more than circumstantial evidence. in other words, they acted on faith. faith that their job is justice and duty is solemn. the faith that tell us if we will it, it's noream. [applause] th nations decided the risks were worth taking because neither israel nor america tolerates terrorism that stains our past. we don't give into fear. we stand up to the honor of our nations and our people. when we're attacked, we will always remember, always fight back though it may take some time, we follow through. [applause] many nations take many risks. america and israel though are the countries that make them count. we succeed. americans and iraelis are the
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people who make possible the impossible. that's the spirit we need to recapture in the next pursuits of justice. the past six months have seen more remarkable change in the middle east than any period in the past six decades since the state of israel was born. this young story has been one the democracy, of human rights, a story written by those who know the voice of the people is as valid ashe voice of the palace that's just as legitimate d just as loud. today, the middle east and north africa have captured the world's attention. witnesses of history around the globe are rooting for democracy, but while we celebrate progress d as the arabs' spring turns to summer, we have to protect the stability, security, and support of the state of israel. [applause] and no one should forget the
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vast majority of the arab world is still not free, but for 63 years of strong, vibrant democracies flowered in the unlikeliest of deserts. it's a democracy committed to progress and prosperity and anchors the free world. the thousands of us here tonight say single voice if you believe in democracy, believe in israel. [applause] three years ago i wrote legislation in the united states senate to congressmen rate the -- comeme rate israel. it passed anonymously. when the whole world condemned israel in the accident, i didn't stay silent, but i spoke up. i spoke up real loudly. [applause] i worked with demrats and republicans alike to collect almost 90 senators' signatures
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to defend israel's right to defend herself. [applause] we all know that if we were attacked in the same way off our shores, the united states would have done nothing different. [applause] i've been happy to host many bipartisan senate meetings with israeli prime ministers, and i look forward to benjamin netanyahu's visit tomorrow in a rare joint meeting of congress. [applause] i've always supported robust american aid to the state of israel, and i always will. [applause] in congresses' budget last year with domestic and international spendi was slashed, we made sure israel got the full funding
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it needs. [applause] frankly, that was no easy task, but my senators ood by israel. [applause] when congress' next budget, i support full funding for curity assistance. [applause] we will face an even tougher budget environment this year, but i'm committed to defending this critical aid, but aid alone is not enough. we support israel because it's in our national and security interests. [applause] we support israel because she is what isiah called a light into the nations. [applause] we also must sustain her glow with all of our political might. the history of the jewish people is in the land of israel.
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it's future will be there too. i support a strong demratic jewish state of isrl livingn peace and security with the palestinian state. like you -- [applause] like you, i hope sincerely for a true and lasting peace between israelis and the palestinian people. this conflict is older than us, but i refuse to believe it cannot be resolved by us in our lifetimes. these solutions are not simple. the only way to achieve delicate balance we seek between security and peace is through the hard work of negotiation. [applause] i believe the parties that should lead these negotiations must be the party at the center of this conflict and no one else. [applause] the place where negotiation will happen must be at the
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negotiating table and nowhere else. [applause] ese negotiations will not happen. their terms will not be set through speeches oin the streets or in the media. [appuse] no one should set premature parameters about borders, about buildings, or about anything else. [cheers and applause] [applause] i support strongly the resolution centers that carter and llins introduced saying a conflict should come through
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direct paltinian-israeli negotiations. [applause] we're going to have faith that peacetimes will be fruitful and know those having the conversation are doing so in good faith, and if we wish for these talks to be productive, to produce a fair ending, we must demand a fair beginning. [applause] what this means is that the pal stippians can want bring the negotiating table a terrorist organization that rejects israel lease right to -- israel's right to exist. [applause] nowhere else in the world, any place in the world at no other time is one rty expected to compromise with a partner who denies its veryxistence. [applause] a peac process can happen only when both sides seek peace.
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[applause] two partners cannot build a bridge when one party refuses to even admit there's something on the other side of thespan. [applause] my friends, perez, is the most visionary foreign leader i've ever known. a government that includes hamas is a threat not to israel, but a threat to the palestinian state, the legimacy of a new state, and threat to the state in the region. [applause] we must never forget that these are the hostage-taking terrorists who kept car gents from their families and fellow soldiers for almost five years. [applause] their beginning of good faith talks also means the
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palestinians cannot stop by the negotiating table on the way to the united nations where they seek recognition where it's symbolic and dangerously counterproductive. [applause] a fair beginning to good faith talks, means israel cannot refine its confines only to compromise its own security. [applause] palestinian's cooperationlso determines american's willingness to continue our current aid program. [applause] i'll say this as clearly as i can -- the united states of america will not give money to terrorists bent on the destruction of isrl. [cheers and applause] [applause]
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the palestinian government, specifically including hamas, the united states continues to insist hamas recognizes israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and honor the commitments made by prior palestinian authority governments. [applause] i was the when the first of the govements was conceived. some of you were there too, and many of you remember clearly the sunny september day when the south won at the white house. we watched two sworn enemies sign a piece of paper and peace seemed within our grasp too. the prime minister spoke about the promise of a new age. as a soldier and father talked of those tired of war and dreamed of child not knowing war. a child born on that day i 1993 turns 18 this summer.
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they shook hands in the city are counting down the days until they start their service to the idea, and now that child, a child with hope who would not know war finds himself or herself face to face with the same challenges of which its parents have grown very weary. we must remember the lessons, weigh both the potential and the peril of negotiating israel's future, and we must do better. [applause] the torah teaches us to honor our father and ore mother, but also honor our children by giving them the chance to know peace. [applause] that mission may be more daunting and seem more improbable, but we've seen that
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faith and fearlessness have won us before. the next generation will face another menace as well, one on which we cannot afford to lose focus amid the frustration and fatigue of the stammering peace process. it cannot be overestimated. it is a common enemy to both israel and america. [applause] the president of iron has made anti-semitism his policy and preaches propaganda and his regimes go erasing israel from th map. while iron torments neighbors, it brutalizes its own people and the world watched in hoer -- horror as they murdered their own citizens as they only asked for their basic freedoms that
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alleople desire. sadly, these abuses continue today, unjust executions, abductions by security forces, arbitrary arrests, detention, and yes, torture. as long as the terrorist state of iran supports hamas and hezbollah and hides behind the terrorists and defines the international community, america will stand against iran. for our sake, and for israel's sake. [applause] iran's terrorists are only the beginning of the problem. they are pursuing nuclear weapon cape the and the ability to launch them in israel. these weapons could reach europe. that would destabilize the region making existing conflicts
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volatile and more dangerous. the regime threatens the national security of israel and the united states. we will not sit back and watch it develop nuclear weapons capability. [applause] this is why we work so hard to pass last year's bill. it says if you pursue nuclear weapons, you put your economy at risk. i thank each of you here tonight because it was your hard work that got this bill to the president's desk. [applause] many of you personally came to capitol hill and made clear the urgent case for passing these sanctions, not just any sanctions, the aipac team was there to make sure we pass the strongest legislation possible. you should be proud of what you accomplished. this program was comprehensive, and it's tough. our goal is to target iran where it hurts the regime the most, so
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we imposed sanctions on the refinery industry and banking institution that does business with the terrorist guard. we've seen these sanctions work, major international firms pulled out of iran because they didn't want to put their businesses at risk. iran's economy suffered as a result. of course, iran continues to get around these sanctions. we knew that would happen, so we have to keep our foot on the gas, ensure that the administration fully implements and forces sanctions and keeps the pressure on the allies to do their part. [applause] the senate will be working on a new round of legislation to help tighten the sanctions we already passed. none of us wants to go to war with iran. on the other side it prevents human suffering, but we will not wait forever or take any option ofthe table. [applause]
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president kennedy speaking of the great nuclear challenge of his time reminded us that our problems are manmade and they can be solved by man. he said, man's reason and spirit often solved the seemingly unsolvable, and we believe they can do it again. israel and america have done the impossible before. we can do it again. we must do it again. let me close how i began with a story of a daring israeli rescue mission, one, to me, defines israel. this evening here, but in the middle of the night in israel where it's already the 24th of may. it's now 20 years almost to the hour that operation solomon began. 20 years ago this month, civil war swept through ethiopia. over the previous year and a half, thousands of ethiopians have been brought to safety in
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israel, but thousands more remain. in may 1991, they fled and rebels controlled the capitol. time was ticking for the remaining jews and entire villages who were isolated from the diaspora continued this for thousands of years. again, israel government and its partners executed a covert, flawless air lift, flying 36 overloaded aircraft for 36 test hours to rescue morehan 14,000 jews, nearly an entire jewish population. [applause] the beta israel as they were called got no belongings or clothes. their feet were the first things to touch the ground. many did not have sho. months after the rescue, my wife and i had the privilege of
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meeting with the new israelis in israel. i'll never forget the smiles they wore on their faces and the gratitude in their hearts for the state of israel. they were brought to an unfamiliar country with a vastly different culture, but they had come home and couldn't have been happier. fifteen years after and thousands of years after the exodus from egypt, israel demonstrated theengths it travels and risks they take for the safety of the jewish people. [applause] israel demonstrated the unmatched precision and professionalism of which it operates. twenty years ago tonight, israel's light into the nation shown as brightly as ever. this is the israel aipac and congress have to share with the world and the israel that does not define itself by war and worry and hope. this is the israel that's
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decided and dedicated itself that humanitarian aid and international development since the young country was called to share what little we have. this is the israel that worked for years with u.s.-aid to help unemployed egyptians plant farms in the desert. they flew into haiti hours after the earthquake to set up the first fully house. [applause] this is the israel that didn't wait a minute after hearing about the disaster of jay pap and going there -- japan and going there to help. [applause] th is the israel who wor with ethiopians to eradicate hiv. [applause] this is the israel that built the armor keeping american soldiers safe. [applause] this is the israel that gave a grant to jerusalem startup so it could invent the bandage to safe
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congresswoman brielle gifford's life. [applause] you see, this is the israel we love. this is the israel we supported since its earliest minutes, before the declaration of independence with the name of the state literally penciled in, we recognized their right to self-determination and self-defense. we were there from the ginning. [applause] we will be there with her for all times. [applause] american's commitment to israel is uncorruptible, nonnegotiateble, and we will never, never leave her side. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ ♪
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>> the american israel public affairs committee also heard from john boehner for about 10 minutes. >> thank you for that kind introduction and to all of you, thank you for what you do. you know, i had the chance to meet so many of you over the years, not just those of you from ohio, but throughout the country. to be asemilled under one roof feels like getting old friends back together again.
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we've got a lot of catching up to do, don't we? you know, recent events bring to mind henry kissinger's leapt at one point saying there can be no crisis next week, my schedule's already full. [laughter] i thought about that when i was thinking about what i was going to say tonight, and i began to recall the last time that i was in israel several years ago, and i'll never forget visiting the northern border with lebanon standing there with the solders, many of them 18 and 19 years old, and the closest of the enemy hit me how israel doesn't get to choose its batter space. where i stood on the border is 100 miles from jerusalem, about the same distance my home in ohio is from our state capitol in columbus. i feel a responsibility to help ensure that our nation keeps its political and financial
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commitments and maintains this role as the beacon of freedom and democracy. [applause] it's in that spirit that i join with all of you tonight. much has been said about the special bond between israel and the united states. ambassador orrin called israel the ultimate ally, and i couldn't agree more. [applause] in the last 63 years through all the threats we have faced, america and israel have formed and honed a strategic alliance built on trust and based on shared values. that is the reason we gather year in and year out to honor and strengthen in a very public way the historic friendship between our two great democracies. we know the world is a dangerous place for democracies.
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we saw in this country on 9/11. israel sees in the terrorist attacks that seem to come every month or sometimes every day. now, the death of bin laden marks and important victory in the fight against al-qaeda and islamic extremism, and our nation's military and intelligence professionals have achieved an important goal in our nation's and in all three nation's fight against terrorism, and i think they deserve our deepest appreciation. [applause] the terrorist organizations are more resill yept than -- resilient than just one person. al-qaeda has been weakened, but they have not been destroyed. my job as speaker is to ensure the house is focused on confronting and defeating the complex and evolving terrorist threats that still targets the
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united states and her allies. in lebanon, hezbollah casted out a freely elected government and dominates that country, and every day that terrorist organization committed to the destruction of israel with weapons from syria and iran, and looming over the entire region, of course, the iranian regime and the threat it poses there and in the wider world, and there's no doubt that the regime in iran has taken notice how the united states has responded to the threats in libya versus how it has responded to the threats in north korea. in anyone here doubts the iranian's regime quest for nuclear weapons, i think you're awfully optimistic. anyone who thinks we can contain the aggression and terrorist's version of a nuclear armed iran, you may not just be on
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optimistic, but somewhat dilutional. [laughter] [applause] the best remedy to the threat of the world is for the people of iran to rise up and replace that regime just as the people of tunisia and egypt rose up and replaced their regimes. [applause] now, we all hope that the regimes in libya and syria will be replaced as well so that the peoples of those countries can escape tyranny and enter freedom. now, we should make a clear and clearer than it has been for the last two years that america is on the side of those who yearn and struggle for their own freedoms. [applause] that is our historic and moral responsibility as a great and free nation, and we should never apologize or be ashamed of that role we play in the world. [applause]
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that's why america's commitment to the advancement of democracy in the middle east remains critical, and while those democracies is iraq. as president obama recently said, iraq represents the promise of a multiethnic, multisectarian democracy. iraq is more than a democracy on the making. it is in the position to become a vital strategic ally in the region, and this is a tribute to the resilience of the iraqi people, the sacrifices made by troops and diplomats, and the many nations who played a role in this task, but we must remain committed to ensuring that iraq continues towards a transition as a sovereign country capable of defending itself and is at peace with its neighbors. now, let me be clear. experience reminds us that one election does not constitute a transition to a viable and responsible democratic state.
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as americans, we know that democracy means not just majority rule, but the rule of law, the protection of minority rights, the basic freedoms of religion, speech, and assembly, and, yes, the arab spring marks and overdo rejection of corruption on police states, but now we're witnessing the battle of the region's political identity. build governments that respect human life and dignity, uphold human rights, and where the people rule? will we see women of religious minorities repressed and fundmental rights abridged? will we see one man, one vote, one time? we are watching the struggle play out in egypt and fostering economic development in egypt is important, but just as critical is the work to secure a stray teemingic partnership with -- strategic partnership with the
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people of egypt to protect our interest and maintains their commitment to peace with israel. [applause] this brings me to israel and to peace. i know the hour is late, but over in jerusalem, the sun is just gipping to rise, and with it, another day of uncertainty. the work of achieving a safe and secure israel has never been easy, but the cause is right, and i will tell you that you have my 100% support for the cause of peace and support in israel. [applause] israel has demonstrated time and again that it seeks negotiating table more than peace with its neighbors, and then on the negotiation, both sides need to
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make compromises and like every prime minister before him, prime minister benjamin netanyahu knows this and accepts it. what does the other side want? when it embraces a terrorist organization, it makes itself known. you are judged by the company you keep. [applause] you know, there are some out there who complain that the united states is too pro-israel. well, hit me tell you what i think? i doubt what america stands for and who america stands with slows the search for peace and stability in the region. [applause] the president and the congress should work together so that the american people are our friends and yes, our enemies understand the national security policies and our goals, and so that our
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allyies, like israel, have no cause to doubt that we'll be with them through thick and thin. [applause] you know, before there was an aipac, securing american support for a jewish state was the work of a dedicated few including a historian by. he said at one point many people in those days had no faith. today, there's the same thing from people who believe israel must always give in. that view was wrong then, and it is wrong today. [applause] tomorrow, his son, the prime minister of israel, will address the united states congress, marking another milestone in this historic friendship. i was honored to invite him, and
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it will be our honor to have him there. [applause] [cheers and applause] it will be our honor to have him there, the representative of a free people who have come, overcome, all odds to rebuild and ancient nation. ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on the larger aipac gathering ever. thank you for having me, and remember this, keep up the fight. [applause] thank you [applause] ♪ ♪ >> the israeli prime minister
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was the final speaker at the israel-america public affairs conference in washington monday evening. this is half an hour. you. ♪ thank you. [applause] ♪ [applause] >> my friends, before i talk
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about things about israel, i want to say something about the scenes on television i saw today, and you have been seeing as well. when tragedy strikes america, israel feels an immediate identification and tramming di has struck america. in recent days floods and tornadoes have claimed the lives of hundre of americans including today in joplin, missouri. all i can say is america, we're with you. on is day, on every day. [applause]
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that's very evident from the things i just heard from my two close friends, speaker of the house john boehner, senate majority leader harry reid. [applause] you lead the many friends who are here today, the distinguished senators and congressman and congresswomen of the united states of america. [applause] i want to greet aipac president lee rosenberg. i learned the other day if i take you on, it's not going to be in basketball. it will be in soccer. [laughter] executive director howard cort.
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howard, you, i'm not going to take on in anything. [laughter] i want to welcome also the representatives of the government of israel, members of knesset, u.s. ambassador of israel, ambassador dan schipiro. my beloved wife and two boys, and finally, our terrific ambassador to the united states, a man who knows a few things about the u.s.-israel alliance, michael orrin. ..
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[applause] thank you to all our supporters, thank you. thank you for defending israel's right to defend itself. for thank you for standing by israel as it seeks a secure peace. now i heard tonight from all the speakers, something that you
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know that israel is america's indispensable ally. [applause] you understand that israel and america stand shoulder to shoulder, fighting the common enemies, protecting common interests. you know that the israeli innovators help power computers, fight disease, conserve water, clean the plan at. store support for israel flows from the heart. it's not just what israel does, it's what israel is. [applause] now let me explain that. yesterday i had a great day. they let me out. sarah and i could actually go
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for a walk, and i have to congratulate american security services. they're a little me generous than ours. [applause] so we walked along the potomac, and we got to visit washington's majestic monreal to become a real. i read jefferson's the five words we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. if i rea lincoln's immortal address, government of the people, for the people, by the people. now let me tell you why these words resone so powerfully with me and all is really is. because they are rooted in ideas first by our people, the jewish people, the idea that all men are created in god's image, that
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no ruler is above the law, that eryone is entitled to justice. thes are reza listen very jewish ideas, and they were spoken thousands of years ago when vast empires ruled the earth. a vast slave and ayers rule the world and the jews spoke these truths. israel is the cradle of our common civilization. it's the crucible of our common values, and the modern state of israel was founded precisely on these nternal values and this is why israel's more than 1 million muslims enjoy a full space rights. [applause] this is why the only place in
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the middle east with christians completelyree to practice their faith is the democratic state of israel. [applause] this is wh israel and only israel can be trusted to ensure the freedom for all faiths in our eternal capital, the united city of jerusalem. [applause] [applause] my friends, israel and america has gone from from the steep
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things of our common values. pplause] [cheering] we for urged an enring friendship not rely between our government, but between our people. support for israel doesn't did fight america, it unites america. [applause] unites the old and the young, liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans, and yes, joe lieberman and even its independence. [applause]
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i want to take this opportunity to support one of the great centers in my lifetime, a man who has given unbelievable service to his country, america and has been unbelievably dedicated to israel and the jewish people. thank you, joe lieberman. [applause] see this broad support for israel and the united states is a tremendous help and gives tremendous strength to my country, and since harry truman,
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israel has looked to american presidents to stand by as we meet the unfolding challenges of a changing world. yesterday president obama spoke about his ironclad commitment to israel's security. he rightly said that our security cooperation is unprecedented. he spoke of that commitment in front of apec, he spoke about it to speeches heard throughout the arab world and he has backed those words with deeds. i know these are tough economic times so i want to thank the president and congress for providing israel with vital assistance so that israel can defend itself by itself. [applause]
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i want to thank you all for supporting the missile defense system. [applause] a few weeks ago there was in gaza fired eight rockets at our cities. now, these rockets never reached their targets. iron dome intercepted them in mid air. [applause] for the first time, a missile defense system worked in combat. that's a precedent in military history, and i want to say thank you america.
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america and israel are cooperating in many other ways as well with cooperating in science and technolo and trade and investment. [applause] [applause] >> it's t only american companies investing in israel, it is the israeli companies investing in america. and the last decades is really companies have invested more
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than $50 billion in the united states. [applause] [cheering] [applause] to one of those -- [cheering] [cheering]
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[cheering] [applause] thank you. [cheering] thank you. you think they have these protests in gaza? [laughter] what a way to get a standing ovation. thank you. [applause] so, one of those companies is
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investing just down the road in richmond. it's a company that is building its food factory. here's what it means, more business, more jobs andmore homes. [applause] it brings more than just food to america. [applause] take medicine israel is advanced secure for multiple sclerosis, alzheimer's, cancer. [applause] we've developed mechanical means to make paraplegics walk again. [applause]
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we placed a tiny diagnostic camera inside a pill. i did not swallow it but i understand it's quite effective. and you just heard of this miraculously bandage developed by an israeli company that is help save congresswoman giffords life. [applause] and i wish her a great friend of israel a happy and quick, speedy recovery. [applause] israel and america are also cooperating to end the world's worst addiction, the addiction to oil. [applause] this dependence fuels' terrorism and poisons the planet so we
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have launched a ten year program in israel to kick te habit to find a substitute for gasoline, and if we succeed, we can change the world, we can change history. [applause] my friends, the american people's support for israel is reflected in my invitation to address a joint meeting of congress tomorrow. thank you, john boehner for the invitation. [applause] now i will talk about the great convulsion taking place in the middle east, the risks and the opportunitie and i will talk
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of the dangers of a nuclear-armed iran, and i would also alkaline secure israeli peace. i intend to speak the honest truth. [applause] because now more than ever, what we need is clarity and evens in the region are finally opened people's eyes to a simple truth. [applause] [applause] events in the region e opening people's eyes to a simple truth.
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the problems of the region are not rooted in israel. when [cheering] [applause] remarkable scenes we are witnessing in town square and across the middle east and north africa are occurring free simple reason, people want freedom. they want rogress. they want a better life. for many of the people of the region, the 20th century skipped them by come and now 21st century technology is telling them what they missed out on. you remember that a desperate food vendor, why did he set himself on fire?
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not because of israel, he set himself on fire because of decades of indignity, decades of intolerable corruption and the millions who poured into the streets of tehran, cairo, bin zazi, damascus, they are not thinking about israel, they are thinking of freedom collier and for opportunities, for hope for themselves and their children. so it's time to stop blaming israel for all of the region's problems. [applause] [applause] let me stress one thing, peace between israelis and palestinians is a vital interest for us. it would be the realization of a
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powerful and internal dream, but it is not a panacea for the endemic proems of the middle east. will not give women in some arab countries the right to drive a car. it will not prevent churches from being bombed. it will not keep journalists out of jail. what will change this, one word, don walker see, real genuine democracy. [applause] i don't just mean the election, i mean freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, the right for women, for gays, minorities, everyone, with the people of israel want.
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it's for the people of the middle east to have what you have in america, what we have in israel, democracy so it's time to recognize this basic truth israel is not what is wrong with the middle east, israel is what is right about the middle east. [applause] my friends, i want peace because we know the pain of terror, and we know the agony of the war, we want peace and because we know the blessings peace can bring, what it can bring to us in and
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to our palestinian neighbors in. but if we hope to advance peace with the palestinians, then it's time thatwe had met another truth. this conflict is raised for nearly a century because the palestinians refused ended. but they refuse to accept the jewish state. this is what this conflict has always been about. there are many issues linked into this conflict that must be resolved between the israelis and palestinians. we can, we must resolve them, but i repeat, we can only make peace for the palestinians as peace for the jewish state. [applause]
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tomorrow in congress i will describe what it used in a palestinian state and the jewish state can look like. but i want to assure you one thing, it must leave israel with security, and therefore, israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 line. [applause] [applause] i will talk about these and other aspects of peace tomorrow when congress and, but tonight i
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want to express israel's gratitude for all of you are doing to help strengthen israel and the great alliance that israel has with america. you hep maintain a qualitative military edge. you back sanctions against iran, you supported geuine peace, you opposed to hamas and joined president obama and me in denouncing hamas and demanding the release our captive soldier. [applause] [applause] that's another an outrageous crime of hamas, just imagine keeping a young soldier locked in a dark dungeon for five years
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without even a single visit, not even a single visit of the red cross the entire civilized community should join israel and the united states and all of us in a simple demand from hamas we leave. [applause] my friends i spent my high school years in philalphia. it's developed quite a bit since then. during those years when it was a sleepy town the, i used to go visit the liberty bell. now as the pri minister of rael, i can walk down the
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streets and s an exact replica of the bill in jerusalem's of liberty park. on both is the same inscription. it comes from the bble, from the book of leviticus, proclaim liberty throughout the land. my friends, this is the essence of the great alliance between the two nations. two people on itand liberty seeking freedom and peace for all what this alliance is all about. you are part of it. i think you on behalf of the people of israel and the government of israel, thank you for the american israel alliance. thank you. [applause]
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♪ ♪ [applause] >> israeli prime minister binyamin and none who addresses congress tomorrow morning. if you conceive that live at 11:00 a.m. eastern. -- you can see that live at
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11:00 a.m. eastern. in a few moments, president obama's speech monday in dublin, ireland. fletcher, tim pawlenty's announcement keith is thought running for the republican nomination -- announcement he is running for the republican nomination for president. tomorrow morning, we will talk about federal spending and the deficit with mike lee of utah. center ron wyden is an oregon democrat and member of the budget committee. said stern is a legal affairs reporter with "congressional quarterly." he will talk about some of the expiring provisions of the patriot act. "washington journal" is live every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> not available, c-span's congressional directory -- now available, c-span fifth
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congressional directory. new house and senate members with compact information including contact information and committee assignments. order online apple -- at c- span.org/shop. >> over the memorial day weekend, commencement addresses from across the country. leaders offer insights to the graduating can -- the graduate and class of 2011. memorial day weekend, on c-span. >> president obama's first stop on his week-long trip to europe was in dublin, ireland monday. this includes a state visit to the united kingdom, the g-8 summit in france, and elsewhere. he spoke on dublin's college green before a crowd estimated at 20,000 people. this is a little less than an
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hour. >> if there is anyone who doubts our capacity to restore ourselves, to reinvent ourselves, and to prosper, to date is your answer. -- today is your answer. because today, on this day, the president of the united states,
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barack obama, in his first lady, michelle obama, have come to visit. [applause] >> welcome mr. president, and michelle. to show that he believes in ireland, to make that precious
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connection with his irish roots, as thousands before him have done. today, the 44th american president comes home. [applause] when thomas kearney started out on his long atlantic crossing, he may have dreamed that one day his progeny would return as president of the united states. [applause] that boyce said goodbye -- that boyce said goodbye -- that boy
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said goodbye, like the millions who were leaving, packing up the remnants of their lives. for some, it was like setting into space. their path is our path. their story is our story. this evening, my call is directly to those 40 million irish-americans. whether you are listening and watching in new york, new haven, san diego, or st. louis, whether you are irish by birth, or by marriage, or by desire, you are irish nonetheless. [applause]
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we, your family, you're irish family, are right here to welcome you, to welcome your present home. [applause] last week, queen elizabeth came to our shores. the irish heart glittered above the heart of the english queen. pride and happiness, with two words of irish, we told our history. today, with president obama, we draw another circle. we tell the world of our unique,
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untouchable wealth, wealth that cannot be accumulated in banks or measured by the market, or treasured on the stock exchange. it remains intact and alive, deep inside all people, in the heart-stopping beauty of our country and in the transforming currency of the irish heart, imagination, and sold. -- and soul. [applause] never give up. never say die. this is what we call our [gaelic] it has sustained it over the century.
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we pass it from father to son, in our dreams, and in our imaginings. it is in our country and our pride of who we are. it will be a brighter and more prosperous future. the president and his first lady are an extraordinary couple. president obama is part of our proud future. in 1963, 45 -- the 35th president of the united states. here. in 1995, another president
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lifted our spirits. but the 44th president is different. he does not just speak about the american dream. he is the american dream. [applause] and that is the american dream for all. ladies and gentlemen, let your voices be heard around the globe. i am honored to introduce the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause] let's hear it. [applause] >> thank you.
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hello, dublin. [applause] hello, ireland. my name is barack obama, of the monegal obamas. i have come home to find the ' we lost somewhere along the way. -- to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way. some wise irish man or woman once said that broken irish is better than clever english. [applause]
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so here goes. [speaking gaelic] i am happy to be in ireland. i want to thank my extraordinary hosts. thank you for welcoming me earlier today. thank you, lord mayor jerry green. thank you for allowing me to crash the celebration. [applause] let me also express my
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condolences on a recent passing of your former leader, terry fitzgerald. [applause] someone who believed in the power of education. someone who believed in the potential of youth. most of all, someone who believed in the potential of peace. most of all, thank you to the citizens of dublin and the people of ireland for the warm and generous hospitality you have shown me and michelle. it certainly feels like 100,000 welcomes. we feel very much at home.
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i feel even more at home after that pint that i had. [applause] i feel even warmer. [laughter] in return, let me offer the hearty greetings of tens of millions of irish americans, who proudly trace their heritage to this small island. they say hello. i knew i had some routes across the atlantic. but until recently, i could not unequivocally claim that i was one of those irish-americans. now, if you believe the corrigan brothers, there is no one more irish than me. [applause]
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so i want to thank the genealogists who traced my family tree right here. thank you. it turns out that people take a lot of interesting you when you are running for president. they looked into your past. they check out your place of birth. things like that. [laughter] i do wish somebody had provided me with all this evidence earlier. it would have come in handy back when i was first running in my hometown of chicago. because chicago is the irish capital of the midwest. a city where it was once said you could stand on 59 st. and hear the brogue of every county in ireland.
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naturally, a politician like me once to be in the st. patrick day parade. the problem was not many people knew me or could even pronounce my name. i told them it was a gaelic name. they did not believe me. one year, a few volunteers and i did make it into the parade. but we were literally the last marchers. after two hours, finally it was our turn. we drove around. we smiled and waved. the city workers were right behind us, cleaning up the garbage. it was a little depressing. the parade organizers are watching tv today and feeling a little bad. this is a pretty good parade right here. [applause]
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goebbels. i like that. -- bgo bulls. i like that. an american does not really require a irish blood. irish -- ireland and america have a centrist-old relationship, bound by history and friendship. that is why i have come here today as an american president, to reaffirm those bonds of affection. earlier today michelle and i visited moneygall where we saw my ancestral home and dropped by
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the local pub. [applause] and we received a very warm welcome from all the people there, including my long-lost eighth cousin, henry. [laughter] henry now is affectionately known as henry viii. [laughter] and it was remarkable to see the small town where a young shoemaker named falmouth kearney, my great-great-great grandfather, my grandfather's grandfather, lived his early life. and i was the shown the records from the parish recording his birth. and we saw the home where he lived. and he left during the great hunger, as so many irish did, to seek a new life in the new world. he traveled by ship to new york, where he entered himself
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into the records as a laborer. he married an american girl from ohio. they settled in the midwest. they started a family. it's a familiar story because it's one lived and cherished by americans of all backgrounds. it's integral to our national identity. it's who we are, a nation of immigrants from all around the world. but standing there in moneygall, i couldn't help but think how heartbreaking it must have been for that great-great- great grandfather of mine, and so many others, to part. to watch donegal coasts and dingle cliffs recede. to leave behind all they knew in hopes that something better lay over the horizon.
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when people like falmouth boarded those ships, they often did so with no family, no friends, no money, nothing to sustain their journey but faith -- faith in the almighty, faith in the idea of america, faith that it was a place where you could be prosperous, you could be free, you could think and talk and worship as you pleased, a place where you could make it if you tried. and as they worked and struggled and sacrificed and sometimes experienced great discrimination, to build that better life for the next generation, they passed on that faith to their children and to their children's children -- an inheritance that their great- great-great grandchildren like me still carry with them.
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we call it the america dream. [applause] it's the dream that falmouth kearney was attracted to when he went to america. it's the dream that drew my own father to america from a small village in africa. it's a dream that we've carried forward -- sometimes through stormy waters, sometimes at great cost -- for more than two centuries. and for my own sake, i'm grateful they made those journeys because if they hadn't you'd be listening to somebody else speak right now. [laughter] and for america's sake, we're grateful so many others from this land took that chance, as well. after all, never has a nation so small inspired so much in
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another. [applause] irish signatures are on our founding documents. irish blood was spilled on our battlefields. irish sweat built our great cities. our spirit is eternally refreshed by irish story and irish song, our public life by the humor and heart and dedication of servants with names like kennedy and reagan, o'neill and moynihan. so you could say there's always been a little green behind the red, white and blue. [applause]
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when the father of our country, george washington, needed an army, it was the fierce fighting of your sons that caused the british official to lament, "we have lost america through the irish." [applause] and as george washington said himself, "when our friendless standards were first unfurled, who were the strangers who first mustered around our staff? and when it reeled in the light, who more brilliantly sustained it than erin's generous sons?" when we strove to blot out the stain of slavery and advance the rights of man, we found common cause with your struggles against oppression. frederick douglass, an escaped slave and our great
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abolitionist, forged an unlikely friendship right here in dublin with your great liberator, daniel o'connell. [applause] his time here, frederick douglass said, defined him not as a color but as a man. and it strengthened the non- violent campaign he would return home to wage. recently, some of their descendents met here in dublin to commemorate and continue that friendship between douglass and o'connell. when abraham lincoln struggled to preserve our young union, more than 100,000 irish and irish americans joined the cause, with units like the irish brigade charging into battle -- green flags with gold harp waving alongside our star- spangled banner.
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when depression gripped america, ireland sent tens of thousands of packages of shamrocks to cheer up its countrymen, saying, "may the message of erin shamrocks bring joy to those away." and when an iron curtain fell across this continent and our way of life was challenged, it was our first irish president -- our first catholic president, john f. kennedy, who made us believe 50 years ago this week -- [applause] that mankind could do something big and bold and ambitious as walk on the moon. he made us dream again. that is the story of america and ireland. that's the tale of our brawn and our blood, side by side, in making and remaking a nation,
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pulling it westward, pulling it skyward, moving it forward again and again and again. and that is our task again today. i think we all realize that both of our nations have faced great trials in recent years, including recessions so severe that many of our people are still trying to fight their way out. and naturally our concern turns to our families, our friends and our neighbors. and some in this enormous audience are thinking about their own prospects and their own futures. those of us who are parents wonder what it will mean for our children and young people like so many who are here today. will you see the same progress we've seen since we were your age?
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will you inherit futures as big and as bright as the ones that we inherited? will your dreams remain alive in our time? this nation has faced those questions before: when your land couldn't feed those who tilled it, when the boats leaving these shores held some of your brightest minds, when brother fought against brother. yours is a history frequently marked by the greatest of trials and the deepest of sorrow. but yours is also a history of proud and defiant endurance. of a nation that kept alive the flame of knowledge in dark ages, that overcame occupation and outlived fallow fields, that triumphed over its troubles - of a resilient people who beat all the odds.
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[applause] and, ireland, as trying as these times are, i know our future is still as big and as bright as our children expect it to be. [applause] i know that because i know it is precisely in times like these - in times of great challenge, in times of great change - when we remember who we truly are. we're people, the irish and americans, who never stop imagining a brighter future, even in bitter times. we're people who make that future happen through hard work, and through sacrifice, through investing in those things that matter most, like family and community. we remember, in the wordswe reme
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famous by one of your greatest poets that "in dreams begins responsibility." this is a nation that met that responsibility by choosing, like your ancestors did, to keep alight the flame of knowledge and invest in a world- class education for your young people. and today, ireland's youth, and those who've come back to build a new ireland, are now among the best-educated, most entrepreneurial in the world. and i see those young people here today. and i know that ireland will succeed. [applause] this is a nation that met its responsibilities by choosing to apply the lessons of your own past to assume a heavier burden of responsibility on the world stage.
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and today, a people who once knew the pain of an empty stomach now feed those who hunger abroad. ireland is working hand in hand with the united states to make sure that hungry mouths are fed around the world -- because we remember those times. we know what crippling poverty can be like, and we want to make sure we're helping others. you're a people who modernized and can now stand up for those who can't yet stand up for themselves. and this is a nation that met its responsibilities - and inspired the entire world - by choosing to see past the scars of violence and mistrust to forge a lasting peace on this island. when president clinton said on
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this very spot 15 years ago, waging peace is risky, i think those who were involved understood the risks they were taking. but you, the irish people, persevered. and you cast your votes and you made your voices heard for that peace. [applause] and you responded heroically when it was challenged. and you did it because, as president mcaleese has written, "for all the apparent intractability of our problems, the irrepressible human impulse to love kept nagging and nudging us towards reconciliation." whenever peace is challenged, you will have to sustain that irrepressible impulse. and america will stand by you -- always.
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[applause] america will stand by you always in your pursuit of peace. [applause] and, ireland, you need to understand that you've already so surpassed the world's highest hopes that what was notable about the northern ireland elections two weeks ago was that they came and went without much attention. it's not because the world has forgotten. it's because this once unlikely dream has become that most extraordinary thing of things -- it has become real. a dream has turned to reality because of the work of this nation. [applause]
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in dreams begin responsibility. and embracing that responsibility, working toward it, overcoming the cynics and the naysayers and those who say "you can't" -- that's what makes dreams real. that's what falmouth kearney did when he got on that boat, and that's what so many generations of irish men and women have done here in this spectacular country. that is something we can point to and show our children, irish and american alike. that is something we can teach them as they grow up together in a new century, side by side, as it has been since our beginnings. this little country, that inspires the biggest things -- your best days are still ahead. [applause] our greatest triumphs -- in
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america and ireland alike -- are still to come. and, ireland, if anyone ever says otherwise, if anybody ever tells you that your problems are too big, or your challenges are too great, that we can't do something, that we shouldn't even try -- think about all that we've done together. remember that whatever hardships the winter may bring, springtime is always just around the corner. and if they keep on arguing with you, just respond with a simple creed: "is feidir linn." yes, we can. yes, we can. "is feidir linn." [applause] for all you've contributed to the character of the united states of america and the spirit of the world, thank you. and may god bless the eternal friendship between our two great nations. thank you very much, everybody.
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thank you, dublin. thank you, ireland. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] ♪ ["stars and stripes forever" playing] ♪
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♪ >> president obama had been scheduled to stay overnight in ireland, but he left overnight because of the eruptions of a volcano. mr. obama will visit west mcnatt abbas the -- westminster abbey
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and meet with prime minister david cameron. there will also attend a state dinner held by the queen. in a few moments, former minnesota gov. tim pawlenty announces he is a candidate for the republican nomination for president. in a little less than an hour, jacob lew at the economic club of washington. after that, the american israel public affairs committee hears from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and congressional leaders. on "washington journal," will talk about federal spending in that deficit with republican senate term of utah, a member of the joint economic commission, and center ron wyden, a member of the senate budget committee. seth stern, a reporter with " congressional quarterly," will take your questions about the patriot act.
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"washington journal" is live 7:00 a.m. eastern every day on c-span. several allied advance to tell you about on our companion network c-span3 tomorrow. the senate judiciary subcommittee looks at first christian drug abuse at 9:00 a.m. eastern. at 2:30 p.m. eastern, heads of the federal aviation administration and the air traffic controllers association testify at a hearing on the safety of the air traffic control system. >> over the three-day memorial weekend, commencement addresses from all over the country. leaders from business, politics, and entertainment offering their insights to the graduating class. memorial day weekend on c-span. >> former minnesota gov. tom pawlenty has formally announced he is a candidate for the
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republican nomination for president. speaking into a mound -- speaking in day morning, this is his 14th trip to iowa since the 2008 elections. this is about 50 minutes. >> in the fall of 1983, i met tim pawlenty and i knew at that time i had met someone extraordinary. throughout our life together and drew are now more than 23 years of marriage, i have come to know well and love his family, his cousins and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters, who liked
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him are the salt of the earth. these are people from the heartland who had a strong were affected -- work ethic in a deep love for families. and i watch tim laugh with our children as they have grown, and i have listened and breathed the life with him as he has got to his political career and watched him through the political battles with political opposition and have many moments where i thought, however the world will he find his way out of this? but he is a man whose internal compass is set so true that he always found a way to lead
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bettertaans to a place. i had the fortune to be alongside him in parts of the world whether china or south america, europe or india, but are in a country that is particularly dear to our hearts, israel. and through all of those experiences, i watched my husband we even blend together his knowledge, his expertise, with his ability to form a amazing, lasting relationships. and it is tempting, i present, to us and that his house of so many years would stand here and be supported simply from the heart. and of course i and supportive from the heart. but all that i know and all that
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i have witnessed about my husband has me supporting him in equal measure with my heart and my head. i am completely certain that he is the best person for the job. my husband is a man of great character. courage, good judgment, wisdom, discernment, and he has the experience to be the next president of the united states. he is a man who speaks truth to power, but always with a great fulness of grace. ladies and gentlemen, my husband, gov. tim pawlenty. [applause]
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>> thank you for those remarks and for all of your love and support of all of these years. i was looking forward to live with my wife and family in the midwestern home that we love. but with her wise counsel, we came to a different conclusion. and that is what brings me here with this announcement. i'm tim pawlenty and i am running for president of the united states. [applause]
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we live in the greatest country the world has ever known. but as we all know, america is in big trouble. and it will not get fixed if we keep going down the same path. if we want a new and better direction, we will need a better president. president obama's policies have failed, but more than that, he will not even tell us the truth about what is really going to take to get out of this mess that we are in. i could stand here and tell you that we could solve america's debt crisis and fix our economy without making any tough choices. we have heard those kind of empty promises before, and for the last three years, and you
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know where that has gotten us. promises of hope and change, make their mortgage payments, put gas in our cars, or pay for our children's school clothes or other needs. in my campaign, i am going to take a different approach. i am going to tell you the truth. and the truth is -- washington, d.c. is broken. our country is going broke. and the pain of the recent recession will pale in comparison to what is coming if we do not get spending in washington, d.c. under control. president obama does not have an economic plan. [applause] president obama does not have an economic plan -- he just as a campaign plan. and the united states of america deserves much, much better. president obama promised that spending $800 billion on a pork-
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filled stimulus bill would keep unemployment under 8%. he promised that bailouts for well-connected businesses were a good deal for the country. he promised that a federal takeover of health care would keep costs under control. and as hard as it is to leave, he even promised that he would cut the deficit in half during his first term as president. but the truth is, since president obama took office, the massive numbers of spending decisions that he has made, that debt has gone through the roof, americans cannot find jobs, and we are $4 trillion deeper in debt. and his health-care plan is an unmitigated disaster for our country. [applause] we have tried president obama's way, and his way has failed. three years into his term, we
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are no longer just running out of money. we are running out of time. it is time for new leadership. it is time for a new approach. and it is time for america's president and anyone who wants to be president to look you in the eye and tell you the truth. so here it is -- government money is not free. uni either pay for it in taxes or our children pay for it in debt. the reforms we need are not in the billions. they are in the trillions of dollars. and the cuts we need to make, but cuts we must make, cannot just be to someone else's program. that changes history is calling on america today to make cannot be shouldered by people richer than ask or poorer than mass. but by us, too. politicians are often afraid that if they are too honest, they will lose an election. i am afraid that in 2012, if we
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are not honest enough, we may lose our country. [applause] if we want to grow our country, we need to shrink our government. if we want our children to be free to pursue their dreams, we cannot shackled them with our debt. this is a time for the truth. that is why later this week i am going to new york city and i am going to tell wall street that if i am elected, the era of bailouts, handouts, if car out are over. -- carve-outs are over. no more subsidies, no more special treatment, no more fannie and freddie, no more tarp, and no more "too big to fail."
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[applause] success in our economy once again must be determined by the continuity of competing businesses in the judgment of the marketplace, purely. but there is more. tomorrow i am also going to florida to tell both young people in seniors the truth about our entitlement programs, an unsustainable path and that inaction is no longer an option. and our national debt combined with obamacare has placed so security, medicare, medicaid in real peril. i'll tell young people the truth that over time and for them only we're going to have to gradually raise the social security retirement age. and i will tell the truth to wealthy seniors that we will have to means test social security's annual cost-of-living adjustments. we're going to do pay for performance incentives that reward good doctors.
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and we're going to block grant medicaid to the states. bair innovative ideas and approaches closest to the patient are not only going to solve problems, they will save money. and this week i will also be in washington, d.c. [applause] in washington, d.c. i will remind the federal bureaucrats that government exists to serve its citizens, not its employees. [applause] and the truth is, people getting paid by the taxpayer should not get a better deal than the taxpayers themselves. [applause] that means freezing federal salaries, transitioning federal employee benefits, and downsizing the federal work force as it retires. it means paying public employees
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for results, not just seniority. he means from the capital to the classroom and everywhere in between, we will make public employees more accountable in their pay and benefits more in line with a rest of the taxpayers in this country. [applause] and in the private sector, it means no card check, not now, and not ever. [applause] and that means no taxpayer bailout just because you made big campaign contributions to politicians or just because you made a lot of money and gave away to people who are trying to influence our government. we also need to make sure that the national labor relations board understands that never again will an american company be told where they can and cannot do business. [applause]
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i am here to tell iowans the truth. america is tight -- facing a crushing debt crisis, like we have never seen before. we need to cut spending and we need to cut it big time. there are no longer any sacred programs. the truth about federal energy subsidies including federal subsidies for ethanol is that they have to be phased out. we need to do it gradually, we need to do it fairly, but we need to do it. i am not some out of touch politician from some other part of the country. i served two terms as the governor of an agricultural state. i fully understand and respect the critical role farming plays in our economy and our society. i have strongly supported ethanol in various ways over the years, and i still believe in the promise of renewable fuel for our economy and for our
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national security. but even in minnesota when we faced fiscal challenges, we reduced ethanol subsidies. that is where we are now in washington. but on a much larger scale. it is not only ethanol. we need to change our approach to subsidies in all industries. it cannot be done overnight. the industry has made large investments and it would not be fair to pull the rug out from under them immediately but we must face the truth, if that if we want to invite more competition, more investment, and more innovation in the industry, we need to get the government out. [applause] we also need to get the government out of the business of handing out special favors and special deals. the free market, not freebies from politicians, should decide the company's success. as part of a larger reform, we need to phase out all subsidies
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across all sources of industry -- of energy's across all industries, including ethanol. some people will be upset about what i am saying. conventional wisdom says you cannot talk about ethanol in iowa, or social security in florida, or financial reform on wall street. but someone has to say it. someone has to finally stand up and level with the american people. someone has to lead. i will. [applause] when times get tough there is a temptation among many people to turn americans against one another. some try to fan the flames of envy and resentment as a way to deflect attention away from their own responsibility, and we particularly see this in politicians.
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that is not good enough anyone -- any more. our children deserve much more from us this time. no president deserves to win an election by dividing the american people. if picking winners and losers, protecting his own party spending, and cutting only the other guys program, pitting class is and ethnicities and generations against each other? the truth is, we are all in this together. so we need to work together to get out of this mess. i will unite our party and our nation because to solve a $14 trillion problem, we are going to need 300 million people. [applause] leadership in a time of crisis is not about telling people what you think they want to hear. that is about telling the truth. president barack obama refuses to do that.
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he has a simple and cynical plan, pretend there is no crisis and then attacked those of us willing to stand up and try to solve it. in washington, they may call that's more politics. but i am not from washington. i grew up in minnesota. [applause] i grew up in the hard working blue-collar town and when i was 16 years old, my mom passed away of ovarian cancer. later my dad lost his job for a while. in a situation like that, if you see some things and you learn some things. at a young age, i learned the now you of clinging to my faith in job in challenging top -- my faith in god and challenging times and in all times. i learned the value of hard work and responsibility for doing my part. i learned that education was the
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ticket to opportunity. and i learned the value of a job and a paycheck. i had a chance to work in a grocery store for about seven years. i was a union member. i was proud to earn some money to help pay for school costs and to help make ends meet. the values i learned of america's baggies. i know the american dream. because i have lived it. i am running for president to keep that dream alive. [applause] the first that toward restoring america's promise is to elect a president who keeps his promise to america. how do i know that conservative values and principles can rescue our economy and reform our government? because in minnesota for the last eight years, they already have. i love my state but let's face it -- it is one of the most liberal states in the country.
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minnesota's big government legacy presented me with the same types of problems barack obama found in the nation's capital. but my approach in my results were very different. when i became governor, minnesota 2-year budget had been increasing by 21% every two years for over 40 years. during my eight years as government, that changed dramatically. i passed a budget that actually reduce state spending in real terms for the first time in 150 years in my state. [applause] for a decade before i got elected, governors tried to get minnesota at the top 10 states and taxes. that was their goal. i actually did minnesota phased health-care costs spiralling out of control. does this sound familiar browser mark i know how to do health care reform right. i have done it that the state
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level. no mandate, no takeovers, and the open -- in the opposite of obamacare. [applause] i took on the public employee unions before was popular to do it. for example, our government bus drivers had benefits similar to those that are breaking budgets in california, illinois, and all over europe. i wanted to bring those benefits in line. the union refused and went on strike. it became one of the long the strikes in the history of the country. people picketed my house. the media trash to me. and the buses did not move. but neither did we. and on the 45th day of the strike, the union came back to the table and the taxpayers one. the last won -- the taxpayers won. today we have a transit system
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that gives commuters a ride without taking the taxpayers for a ride. [applause] i stood up to the teachers' union and is that was one of the first state-wide systems for performance pay for teachers in the country. and i appointed new conservative justices to the supreme court today understand that judges are supposed to rule according to the law, not to the preferences of their party. and you know something about that here in iowa. [applause] in minnesota and washington, the issues were the same -- taxes, spending, health care, unions, and the courts. but in washington, if barack obama has consistently stood for higher taxes, more spending, more government, more powerful special interests, and for less individual freedom. in minnesota, i cut taxes, cut spending, instituted health care choice and performance pay for teachers, reformed union
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benefits, and appointed constitutional conservatives to the supreme court. that is how you lead a liberal state in a conservative direction. [applause] the problems we face as a nation are severe. but if we can move minnesota in a common-sense conservative direction, we can do it anywhere, even in washington, d.c. but it will not be easy. it is not supposed to be. this is america. we do not do easy. valley forge was not easy. normandy was not easy. winning the cold war was not easy. if prosperity were easy, everyone around the world would be prosperous. it security were easy, everyone around the world would be secure. if three more easy, everyone would be freed. they are not. but americans are.
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because our founding fathers and generations before us chose to be and insisted, sacrifice, and risked everything so that we could be. that is their legacy. and now it is our challenge. we are up for it. in 2008, president obama told us he would change america. and he has. in 2012, we will change america again, and this time, it will be for the better. [applause] thank you, god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. thank you for coming today. i appreciated. -- i appreciate it. thank you. good to see. thank you.
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i know the sun is hot but the last part of the program, i will come down here into a town hall meeting. to adjust toe engage in formally, to ask questions, and see what is on your mind and make sure you get your questions asked about our campaign are the future of the country. we would love to hear from you. there is a microphone to your right. >> you touched on everything in your speech but here is my question. i feel like after a basket. could you expound more fully on which i think you did very well, and now want to be reassured, because this is the one thing that is holding back the barrier. you and i have talked several times. could you explain your -- how you would go about to recommend
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a supreme court judge? trying to be specific? could you recommend more fiscally-tight, or would they as sandra day o'connor? >> yes. thank you for coming in your question. as with all of these issues, the republican candidate for president will roll through town and tell you, i am for cutting taxes, i am for reducing spending, i am for school choice and reform and accountability, i am for market- based health-care reforms, i am pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, appointing conservative judges, tough on terrorism and the like. the word of the various candidates will sound similar. there will be some differences, but the real question for the people of iowa and america are not who says the words. who actually gets it done? who has the record to back these things up? on this and many other things, i have actually done it as an executive and a leader in government. i've appointed members to the
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minnesota supreme court and i am proud of them. i've appointed strict constructionist. i want to make sure the people i put on the court respect to this fact, that they should interpret and apply the law has written and not substitute or insert their personal views or political views and a law is unclear, they should have the humility to be able to say, this is unclear and is to be clarified by the legislature, the governor, or the president, not take it into their own hands and right there law on the back of the napkin. [applause] yes, ma'am. we would get to you next. >> i am norman. you may be able to tell i am a legal immigrant to this country. when i came over here, i had to sign all kinds of papers say that i was not going to commit a crime, and that should i do so, i could be been deported.
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i wonder what your thoughts are on the illegal immigrants that we have in this country to continue to bombard our borders. who are committing a crime by getting here. there are millions of people outside of america who are trying to come here legally. so that they could be registered, just as eager to work, and make themselves part of our american life. i just wonder what your feelings are. >> normam, thanks for your question and for being here legally, we appreciate that. [laughter] [applause] on these issues, it is important start with first principles. we have was one of our cornerstone principles the rule of law. so we need to make sure that our culture and our society more broadly respects that principle. if you have large segments of
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our population ignoring or violating a lot and shoving aside, in not only represents legal violations, but it begins to corrode the culture. you cannot have a country that says the rule a lot is so important, of paramount principle, and then have people flagrantly violating falloff. if you do not think this is a barn, go back to new york city pre-rudy guiliani. as you know, is the rule is anything goes, pretty soon it does. so we need to make sure that we have the lock observed and respected and enforced. as a relates to immigration, let's start with a positive. this is a great nation. we have benefited greatly from immigration, but it needs to be legal and reasonable and orderly. [applause] and that is not what we have now. let's start with those two principles, rule of law and we
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value immigration and less celebrate reasonable, legal, an orderly immigration. on illegal immigration, i have a lot of experience with this. we have to enforce the borders, from an immigration and security perspective. when president bush as the governors to volunteer people to go to the borders, minnesota volunteered. under my direction, we sent troops to the border as part of operation jumpstart until they get more people and equipment down there, and it were. so number one, enforce the borders. we need a better check -- system to check and verify whether people are here legally or not. in needs to be fair and not burdensome on employers. i issued an executive order in minnesota that if you want to do business with a state or your subcontractor, you have to use a system called e-verify. it is not perfect but it is better. it is better than the paper-
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based system. i wanted the the set expiration dates on driver license. -- visa expiration dates on driver's license. i proposed in the campaign to put that expiration date right on driver's licenses. and the legislature refused to do it but i issued an executive order and we got it done administratively. we were the first and one of the only states in the country to have that. know that i have been dissipated in these issues as a leader, not just in words but in deed, and we made good progress in minnesota to help the national effort. >> thank you, governor, god bless you, and the blood. jim carter is no longer the worst president this country has ever had. [laughter] [applause] what pushed it over the top was president obama throwing israel under the bus.

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